The melodic, evocative warbling of a resonator guitar has for decades been a fixture in country music, and knowledgeable fans will tell you there’s one primary individual to thank for it – Pete “Bashful Brother Oswald” Kirby. Kirby was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, in 1911. His introduction to the resonator occurred circa 1929, thanks to […]

Silvertone’s 1449 and 1423 Price: $739 list/$479 street (1423); $629 list/$399 street (1449) Info: www.silvertoneclassic.com With an up-swell of interest in vintage Silvertones, current parent company Samick has begun to reissue some of the most requested models. The first offering, the 1303/U2, with its famous “coke (more…)

See guitarist Peter Frampton discuss the track “The One in 901,” from Hummingbird in a Box, a “mini-album” inspired by the Cincinnati Ballet. The music debuted in 2013 at Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center for the Arts, and two of the ballet’s spring-production segments were choreographed to existing Frampton music, with Frampton and his band performing live, […]

John Brinkmann, an innovator of the guitar show concept and a pioneer in helping create the vintage-guitar market, passed away October 8. He had been battling diabetes and a heart condition. Brinkmann was one of the first people to advance vintage-guitar sales from early “car trunking” at flea markets to organized, promoted events where instruments […]

Here’s a look at what what VG contributor Oscar Jordan found at this year’s Guitar & Pedal Expo, held March 30 in Van Nuys, California. Lonnie Specter’s second event, it’s been a successful add-on to his popular Amp Shows. (more…)

1940 Gibson SJ-200 The Gibson company was founded on the belief that carved-top guitars were superior to flat-top designs, and consequently, Gibson was a reluctant entrant in the rising flat-top market of the 1920s. Add the fact Gibson, more than any other company, was (more…)